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House of Audierne
The House of Audierne was the most influential family in Kanjor for over 500 continuous years. They trace their lineage back to the dictator Kamician, who ruled in the 1st century BCE. The family line eventually died out in early 2140s. History Origins Medieval Status Theocracy & Resistance the Holy Wars & the Inquisition The Throne of Kanjor Alphonse I & a Unified Kingdom Early Kings Albert I Civil War, Alphonse VII, & the Reconquête of the Isle Middle Kings Albert II & Amalia Reforms & Legacy ---- Beginnings It is unclear how the Audierne family began, however, Audierne records officially trace their beginnings to the dictator Kamician. Since Kamician never married the exact nature of this link was rather ambiguous. The latest research has deduced that the link between the House of Audierne and Kamician is probably correct, though the truth more than likely has been altered. Records have been found detailing Kamician's particularly closeness to a concubine name of Valerie Marot of Soulon, who was proven to have bore at least one child; of which Kamician has, obviously, been the suspected father. It is from this child, Pepin, that the Audierne family would develop. Soon after its inception, the family quickly developed links with other powerful families throughout Kanjor by making shrewd marriage deals to enhance and maintain their position. A familial empire soon began to form from within Kanjor itself which soon grew into a very powerful political bloc. Interestingly enough the family survived the Theocracy and the Holy Wars, while hundreds of other noble and powerful families were killed or dispossessed. It was during this time that the Audierne family truly tested their diplomatic skills by walking a thin line between both competing factions of the conflict. Eventually, the Audierne dropped their support for the theocracy and sided with the Council which quickly resulted in victory for the Council. In addition, they did not participate directly in the Chambre des lords (House of Lords) which governed after the victory of the Council, but held considerable influence behind the scenes through the use of blackmail, intimidation and bribery. It is estimated that at any one time the Valerian family held control over up to a third of the House, and several times held a clear majority, through such methods. Revolution of 1520 and the Second Empire THIS NEEDS TO BE UPDATED TO FIT HISTORY! The lack of involvement of the Audierne in the Chambre des seigneurs meant that they survived the Revolution of 1520 with little damage. It also allowed the family to gain control of the weakened state and in 1526, the Empire of Kanjor was declared with Alphonse Audierne of Soulon as its first Emperor. Reign of Alphonse I Alphonse chose to began to expand the Empire's control into Oléri-des-Grâces, Silliers, and La Tondelle, with the help of his two brothers Charles and Léopold as his main generals. The incursion into independent Oléri-des-Grâces proved unsuccessful and the idea was soon abandoned, however, Silliers and La Tondelle prove much more successful, and Alphonse pursued the invasion vigorously. His life was cut short however, by a bout of Mordusian Weeping Disease, and he died leaving the throne to his son Albert. Reign of Albert I Albert I proved to be an incompetent and ineffective Emperor after several foolish administrative and military blunders. Albert removed his uncles from command of the army and took direct command in Silliers. As Charles and Léopold return to Kanjo and Albert traveled to Silliers to lead the army but before he arrived it was soundly defeated by the Sillierien. Consequently the newly won territory was lost. Unperturbed by the losses in men and territory, Albert took command of the army in April 1540 and led his forces in the battle of Atyr suffering a crushing defeat, leaving nearly 2,500 men, including Albert himself, dead on the battlefield. Civil War and the Reign of Alphonse II News of the Emperor's death, along with the military defeat, reached Kanjo several days later. Subsequently, a power struggle erupted between Charles and Léopold for control of the throne while a small group of supporters whisked the late Emperor's son, Alphonse II, to the small village of Audierne in Martois near Soulon for safekeeping until the conflict blew over. Meanwhile, the army landed in Numineux and split into factions supporting either Charles or Léopold. The whole region erupted in civil war with Charles basing his support around Kanjo and Léopold holding Pesançon. Civil war continued for nearly 15 years until the 20 year old Alphonse emerged from Martois with an offer of stability. Many nobles supported this offer and threw their support behind Alphonse. He quickly gained de facto control over both Martois. The newly formed army of Alphonse defeated Léopold's force along the Kanjorgne River and forced its surrender in Pesançon. Alphonse soon marched against Charles, meeting at the aptly-named Vallée des pleurer (Valley of Crying) outside Kanjo on 24 June 1566. The battle ended in a draw but proved to be a strategic victory for Alphonse because Charles was killed and his army was forced to retreat back to the city. Leaderless, it surrendered to Alphonse several days later. Alphonse II reclaimed the throne of Kanjor and began to unifying the nation, using the newly-absorbed Oléri-des-Grâces as a base for limited conquests in Silliers. Alphonse died peacefully in 1590, leaving the throne to his son Alphonse III and beginning a long and unbroken line of succession lasting until the 1832. Amalia Amalia was the daughter and only child of Georges II, and began to plot with Georges' brother Albert about the future of Kanjor. She also entertained several foriegn visitors, cementing Kanjor's relationship with Alduria and Rildanor. She would often lead men to believe that Georges was planning a marriage between them, and squeezed concessions from them in exchange for her (supposed) hand in marriage. All this was down without the knowledge of Georges, who was increasingly ill. Georges died in 1802, to be succeeded by Albert II. Albert, with the support of Amalia, brought a new era of decadence to the Imperial house, funded by Amalia's dealings with other nations. Amalia retired to Soulon have a child out of wedlock, the result of some of her more personal seductions, and left Albert to rule unguided. His style became ever more decadent and gratuitous, taxing highly and spending wildly. The economic situation of Kanjor was already grave, but the effect of Resirus without Amalia's guidance brought the country to its knees. To avert a revolution, Albert appealed to Amalia for assistance, and she orchestrated the end of the Empire and the creation of the Second Kingdom. She also arranged for her young son to be the next King. The Second Kingdom Albert II became the King of the new constitutional monarchy, and loses much of his decadent style as Amalia returns from Martois. Albert II effectively handed control over to Amalia, who began a period of economic recovery. Albert II collapsed with a stroke in 1836, and Amalia becomes the regent while until her son, Valerian, is older enough to ascend the throne. Valerian I is crowned in 1838, at the age of 18. His good looks woo many of populace, and he can be considered Kanjor's first real celebrity. However, he has also inherited his mother's intelligence and cunning, and he leads Kanjor into a new golden age. He is wildly popular for the duration of his 60 year rule, and his funeral in 1898 was followed by ten days of mourning across the nation. His two sons, Alphonse III, and Henri IV, were not so popular, but still kept the monarchy under a steady hand. Alphonse III did not manage such a steady hand when he accidentally shot himself on a hunting trip in Martois. He suffered such sever bleeding he was dead before his companions could bring him to a carriage. His younger brother Henri IV ascended the throne in 1912, and would rule until his own death at the age of 77 in 1931. From there, his son Georges II took the throne. Like his namesake however, he was plagued by disease, and became increasingly less coherent and erratic. Retreat and Fall See also: The Interregnum Georges II begins to interfere greatly in the Assembly, making irrational and unpopular vetoes and decrees. By the 1950s, popular dissent is the highest it has been in over a century, and the Assembly abolishes the monarchy. Georges II and his teenage son Valerian II flee to the stronghold of Soulon. Valerian quickly takes over, and begins to prepare for a war of reconquest. He has strong support from the Audierne, and begins relations with neighbouring Rildanor, trading land along the Rildanor-Martois border for weapons and supplies. Valerian's area of control is still called the Kingdom of Kanjor, and retains the flag of the old Kingdom and the House of Soulon. War with the WFSR Valerian realises the need for a port with good access to the Silliers Channel, from which he will be able to prevent forces moving between the mainland and the Isle of la Tondelle. He selected Narseille as the obvious choice, with the conquest of Helion clearly too difficult at this time. Valerian decides to take all of Oléri-des-Grâces, and then prepare for and assault on either Isle of La Tondelle or Numineux. Throughout 1956, skirmishes between Valerian II's forces and troops from the Workers' and Farmers' Socialist Republic of Oléri-des-Grâces (WFSR) occurred as WFSR militias pushed north out of Narseille, and Valerian's patrols moved south. The first significant battle occurred at the start of 1957, where a Audierne cavalry squadron surprised a WFSR militia unit setting up trench fortifications around a small village. The tide of the battle turned when the cavalry broke through on the left flank of the village, forcing the incomplete defences to be abandoned. The militia was quickly cut off, but refused to surrender, instead barricading the village, and preparing a last stand at the village's church. The militia held the walls of the village for several days, until the Audierne received reinforcements, and forced their way in just after dawn on the fifth day of fighting. By midday, the militia had been pushed back to the church in extraordinarily bloody fighting. The royalist commander offered the handful of defenders a last chance to surrender, which they refused. The royalists then proceeded to burn the church, and the remains of the village, with the defenders inside. However, they pulled back once news arrived that a new WFSR militia was moving to reinforce the village, and a storm prevented the trenches from being used. When the WFSR reinforcements arrived, they found the smouldering ruins of the village, and the half-burnt church, with a crude WFSR flag still flying from the top, but the defenders dead from smoke asphyxiation. The flag was recovered, and the militia adopted it as their mascot. Their anger led them to attack the much larger Valerian forces massing to the north, with a fiery passion that quickly overwhelmed the superior numbers and arms of the Valerian force. This was the creation of Flag Unit, the WFSR's much famed (and feared) shock force. Several more battles occurred over the course of 1957, but mostly ended in stalemate, or a reversal of the previous victory. By the start of 1958, the frontline had stabilised, and would remain largely unchanged until 1973, when a massive WFSR offensive pushed the line several hundred kilometres northwards. It too would remain stable until the Valerians launched the last major attack of the war in 2065, which returned the border to roughly the 1956 line. It formed the basis of the modern provincial border between Oléri-des-Grâces and Martois. The Soulon offensive of 2065 left the king's forces exhausted and in 2070 a ceasefire had been signed and all conflicting sides in the Interregnum were drawn to the Conference of Kanjo. Valerian IV, the King of Kanjor, was present, and resigned to the fact that a republic was inevitable. He chose to remain in Martois, and relinquish any political dealings in exchange for not being tried for treason having traded Kanjorien land to Rildanor. The Audierne family still dominated their namesake of Soulon, and had some influence in Martois, but were largely forgotten in the following years. The Third Empire and Decline In the 2110s, however, a growing Imperial movement seeks to restore the Empire. The Kanjorien Imperial Party, tacitly backed by the ambitious young Alphonse V, won a majority of seats in the 2115 election and founded the Second Empire of Kanjor. Alphonse, at the forefront of the movement, was crowned Emperor Alphonse V. However, he did not marry and when a car crash killed his two younger brothers, Alphonse realised that he had been foolish to rely on other family members for the maintenance of the Crown. It was too late for Alphonse to marry and father children and his death in 2142 also ended the Audierne family. The Empire technically continued but without a Audierne family member, the Monarchy sat in legal limbo as a series of regents filled the position until 2148 when the Crown was legally dissolved. Category:Kanjor Category:Nobility Category:History